The political economy of regionalism

The advent of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the ongoing process of economic integration in Europe, the formation of Mercosur, and the possibility of a new Asia-Pacific economic bloc have led to intense debates about the current status and future direction of regionalism. The Political economy perspective. The contributors investigate why regional arrangements are formed, the conditions under which these arrangements deepen, and why they take on different institutional forms. The book also bears on a number of recent theoretical debates in the fields of international relations and political economy, including the advantages and limitations of neorealist and neoliberal institutional theories, new trade theories, and the new institutionalism.